1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable terminal having a touch sensing based image capture function and an image capture method therefore.
2. Description of the Related Art
A portable terminal may be configured to perform a variety of functions. Examples of such functions may include data/voice communications, capturing images or videos via a camera, recording audio, playing music files via a speaker system, and displaying images or videos. Some terminals have been equipped with additional functionality that supports game playing, while other terminals have been implemented as an integrated multimedia player. More recently, the portable terminal has been equipped with a function of receiving broadcasts or multicast signals, thereby enabling a user to watch videos or television programs.
Among the various functions of the portable terminal, the function of capturing images or videos via a camera refers to a function that allows a user to capture videos or still images by using a camera provided in a portable terminal. In order to perform an image capture operation using the camera function, the user should change a terminal's mode into a camera mode through a key manipulation and then select an appropriate image capturing mode among corresponding camera menus.
Once an image-capturing mode is selected, a preview screen display is displayed on a screen display. The user adjusts a direction of the portable terminal and its capture angle while checking an object to be taken (e.g., person, scenery, objects, etc.) on the preview screen display by using a zoom-function, and the like. After the size of an image to be captured and the capture angle are adjusted, the user presses a capture button, thereby automatically focusing via an Auto Focus (AF) function, thus to perform the image capture operation.
Various attempts have been made to easily and conveniently implement complicated functions in such portable terminals by means of hardware or software. For instance, a display unit is, for a user's convenience, implemented as a touch screen, a portion of a keypad is provided with a touch pad, or a user interface environment is provided in a portable terminal to enable a user to conveniently search for or select among available functions.
Accordingly, there is a need to develop a variety of tools that conform to the new attempts by means of hardware or software.